Acoustic device



Nov. 28, 1956 c. B. HORSLEY 2,532,229

ACOUSTIC DEVICE Filed Feb. 21, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Nov. 28, 1950 c. a. HORSLEY ACOUSTIC DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1946 .lfoauieg, r Z/F 3&2

Nov. 28, 1950 c. B. HORSLEY 2,532,

ACOUSTIC DEVICE Filed Feb. 21, 1946 5 Sheet-Sheet 4 Izwenifov: arper fonfl.flbm@ C. B. HORSLEY ACOUSTIC DEVICE Nov. 28, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 21, 1946 Y Patented Nov. 28, 1950 ACOUSTIC DEVICE Caper-ton B. Horsley, Stamford, Conn., assignor to Ultrasonic Corporation, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 21, 1946, Serial No. 649,279 3 Claims. (Cl. 116-137) My invention relates to apparatus useful in various processes for treating materials with compression waves. In one aspect my invention consists in an improved generator for sound or compression waves, while, in another aspect, my invention pertains to a novel combination of a compression wave generator and frequency modulating means with a treating chamber into which the compression waves are directed and through which various materials may be passed for treatment.

The general background for the present invention is discussed in considerable detail in my copending applications Ser. No. 624,504 filed October 25, 1945, now abandoned; Ser. No. 645,224, filed February 2, 1946, now Patent Number 2,456,- 706; and Ser. No. 646,178, filed February '7, 1946, now Patent Number 2,448,372. Accordingly, reference is made to the said copending applications for a fuller treatment of the general subject than will be found herein. In a sense the present invention consists in certain modifications and improvements upon the apparatus disclosed in my copending applications.

Before proceeding further I believe it desirable to define the terin compression waves. Briefly speaking, compression waves are any series of alternately positive and negative pressure regions travelling through a medium. The term includes audible as well as ultrasonic frequencies, and a device useful for generating and utilizing compression waves may for convenience sake be referred to as an acoustic device, although such apparatus is by no means limited to use with waves of audible frequency.

The most important object of my present invention is to increase the efliciency with which compression waves may be generated, modulated, and directed against a material to be treated.

Another object of my invention is to provide a relatively light, compact, and easily assembled unitary device Within which compression waves are generated, modulated, and utilized for the treatment of various materials. I

An important feature of my inventionresides in a treating chamber provided internally with means for generating compression waves in a gaseous medium together with means for modulating the frequency of compression waves so generated.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown inthe ac companying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical cross section through a device embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a view in cross section along the line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a view in cross section along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a view in cross section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a view in cross section along the lines 6-6 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 7 is a view in vertical cross section showing an enlarged view of the central portion of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 8 is a view in vertical cross section, showing the central portion of Fig. 7 enlarged and in detail.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings the several elements are organized about a toroidal chamber H) in the major axis of which a nozzle [2 is disposed. A knife edge tube I4 is disposed in alignment with the outlet from the nozzle 12 and spaced only slightly therefrom; an exhaust pipe or tube 16 surrounds the tube M for the purpose of providing an exit for air or gas blown through the nozzle l2 and against the knife edge 14. The interception, by the knife edge M, of the blast of air leaving the nozzle l2 results in the generation of compression waves which travel out. into the body of the toroidal chamber III. For a discussion of the behavior of compression waves projected into a toroidal chamber I refer to my copending application Serial No. 645,224 filed February 2, 1946.

The toroidal chamber is formed by securing together a series of appropriately curved segmental castings of stainless steel or other suitable material including an upper central annular casting H, a main upper casting I8, a lower central casting [6 (including the exhaust pipe), and a main lower casting 20. The casting I1 is secured to a flange on the nozzle l2 by means of a series of screws 34, while the main castings l8 and 20 are secured together by means of a series of bolts 2|. The castings I6, I1, I8 and 20 are surrounded by a relatively thick layer 26 of sponge rubber, fiber glass, or other suitable sound absorbing material, and the layer-26 is in turn confined by an outer casing including an upper section 22 secured to a lower casing section 24 by means of a number of bolts 25. The purpose of the rubber layer 26 and the outer casing is to prevent the dissemination from the device of noise from the chamber due to compression waves of audible frequency as well as to prevent physiological damage to bystanders by reason of the emission of compression waves at ultrasonic fre: quencies.

The castings I1 and I8 are so arranged as to leave between them a relatively narrow annular passage or inlet 28 at the top of the chamber I8. Bridging the gap between the two castings and disposed above the outlet 28 is an annular guide bar 38 having in cross section the shape of an inverted U, the outer leg of which is provided with a peripheral shoulder for the reception of a series of screws 32 by means of which the bar 38 is secured to the casting I8. Fitting into the inlet 28 is an annular bevelled edge valve member 36 which is arranged to slide vertically between a pair of annular guide rings .38 and 48. The top of the valve member 38 is flanged and sits upon a pair of rubber rings 42 secured in grooves in the guides 38 and 48. The valve member 38 is also slotted at the top to receive a rubber ring 4| upon which bears a steel ring which in turn is borne upon by a series of screws 44 which extend to the exterior of the device through the casing 22. The construction of the guide rings 38 and 48 is such that there is an annular channel on either side of the bevelled edge valve member 36, which communicates with a pair of conduits 62, through which a. liquid or liquids to be treated may be fed into the channels. The access of the liquid in the channels to the inlet 28 is controlled by the position of the screws 44, and a vertical pin 48 having graduations thereon (not shown) is disposed by the side of each of the screws 44 and rests at its lower end upon the top of the valve member 36. By matching the heights of the pins 46, the operator may adjust the valve member 36 so that the opening is of uniform width throughout the extent of the inlet 28.

It is contemplated that liquid introduced into the chamber through the inlet 28 will take the form of a cylindrical curtain flowing through the chamber. In order to protect the curtain from the effect of pressure differentials within the chamber I provide a series of by-pass conduits 48 each of which extends upwardly from the casting I8, through the guide 38, and downwardly again into the chamber I8 through the casting IT. The by-passes 48 serve to maintain equal pressure on both sides of the curtain in the chamber I8. At various points I provide viewing ports 58 through which an observer may watch the interior of the chamber or through which measuring instrumentalities may be introduced into the chamber for determining the extent of various effects being produced during a treating process.

The casing 22 merges into an upwardly extending cylindrical portion 54 disposed above the nozzle I2 and enclosing a thick annular block 56 of sponge rubber. A cap 58 is screwed to the top of the cylindrical portion 54 and apertured to receive a conduit 88 which extends through the sponge rubber block 58, terminates above the nozzle I2, and embraces the upper end of a union 84 screwed into the top of the nozzle. A sleeve 82 surrounds the lower portion of the conduit 88 and has a flange at its lower end held between a pair of shoulders or collars formed integrally with the union 64.

Near its lower end the nozzle I2 is provided with an internal perforated partition or wall 86 through which pass a pair of screws 18 by means of which a cylindrical plug 88 is secured in such position that it nearly fills the end of the nozzle, leaving only a very narrow annular outlet therefrom. The end of the plug 88 is provided with a very shallow central bore which receives the end of a cylindrical plug I2 disposed within a tube I4 which is axially aligned with the nozzle I2 and terminates at its upper end in a sharp knife edge I4 which lies opposite the annular outlet from the nozzle I2. The plug 12 is so dimensioned as to leave a relatively narrow annular space between the knife edge tube 14 and the plug 12; between the knife edge tube 14 and the exhaust tube I6 there is a wider annular exhaust passage I6. A movable sleeve 88 is disposed in the space between the plug 12 and the tube I4 and slotted adjacent its lower end to accommodate a plurality of screws I8 by means of which the plug 12 is held in position with respect to the tube 14. The sleeve 88 is provided at its lower end with a flange screwed to a cup 82 which supports an upwardly extending tube 83 working in a central bore formed in the plug I2. At its lower end the cup 82 is threaded to a long hollow shaft 84 threaded at its lower end into a socket mounted for rotation about an eccentric 88 secured to a shaft 88 driven by an external motor 88. The shaft 88 and the eccentric 86 are disposed in a well or cup 85 surrounded by a layer 81 of sponge rubber and an outer casing 89.

The tube 83 fits snugly within the bore in the plug I2, while the sleeve 88 fits rather loosely in the space between the plug I2 and the tube 14. When the motor 98 is energized, the eccentric 86 causes the shaft 84 to reciprocate vertically and thus to reciprocate the tube 83 and the sleeve 88. It is contemplated that oil or other lubricating fluid can be introduced through the hollow shaft 84, the cup 82 and into the tube 83. Thus lubrication is provided for the sliding of the tube 83 in the bore of the plug 12. The sleeve 88 fits more loosely between the plug I2 and the tube 14 because it is not practical to introduce a lubricating fluid into this portion of the mechanism. To

do so would result in fouling up the chamber, because escaping oil would be vaporized and squirted into the interior of the chamber.

An exhaust outlet I88 is provided in the lower portion of the casting I6 and provides means through which air may leave the device. The castings I6 and 28 are so disposed as to leave between them at the bottom of the chamber I8 an annular outlet I82 considerably wider than the inlet 28 and communicating with a sump or drain trough I84 secured to the casting I6 and 28 by means of a series of screws, not shown, and connected to a drain pipe I86. I g

In operatin the device, I connect the conduit 88 to a source of compressed air, or other gas, which emerges from the nozzle I2 as an annular blast and is intercepted almost immediately by the knife edge I4. The air then travels through the exhaust passage I6 and out of the apparatus through the outlet I88. By disposing the tube I4 in proper relation to the casting I6, as shown in Fig. 1, substantially all of the air leaving the nozzle I2 will pass into the exhaust passage 16. Care must be taken to insure the proper relative disposition of the elements of the mechanism, since otherwise the air blasts would pass into the chamber I8 and there disrupt the curtain and cause chaotic turbulence which would seriously interfere with the treating process being carried out.

It will be observed that there is provided between the knife edge tube 14 and the plug I2 a narrow annular chamber bottomed by the top of the reciprocating sleeve 88. This chamber is somewhat analagous to the resonating chamber of a Galton whistle, but the annular chamber shown in the drawing permits greater amplitudes at high frequencies than would be possible with a conventional cylindrical chamber of a Galton whistle. The effect of the stream of air against the circular knife edge I4 is to set into vibration the air contained in the chamber. The frequency at which this air vibrates is a function of the depth of the annular chamber, and it will be seen that this depth is constantly changed as the result of the reciprocation of the sleeve 80; Roughly speaking, the frequency will decrease as the depth of the chamber is increased. The resonating chamber in a Galton whistle is cylindrical and if high frequencies are to be generated, the required volume is so small that it can only be obtained, in the conventional Galton whistle, by building a whistle in which the diameter of the nozzle and knife edge is exceedingly small. Consequently it is impossible to produce in a Galton whistle high frequency compression waves which have energies high enough to perform useful work. However, by employing an annular chamber, formed between the plug 12 and the tube 14, I form what amounts to a whole series of Galton whistles disposed in circular formation. Consequently I am able to produce waves at very high frequencies without reducing the energy below commercially acceptable values.

There will be, in the operation of the device constructed according to my invention, a given frequency above and below which the reciprocatsleeve will continuously effect a cycle of modulation. For example, the sleeve may be so set that at the midpoint of its stroke the frequency generated will be 50,000 cycles per second. The extent of the modulation i determined by the lengths of the stroke of the shaft 84, which is determined in turn by the throw of the eccentric or cam 86. It is contemplated that a series of cams of different shapes may be provided in order to make it possible to vary the extent of the modulation. Thus a cam might be selected to give a 10,000 cycle modulation on either side of the base frequency. Under such conditions when the sleeve is at the top of its stroke, the frequency will be increased to, say, 60,000 cycles per second, and when the sleeve is at the bottom of its stroke the frequency will be decreased to 40,000 cycles per second. The base frequency about which the modulation is accomplished is thus determined by the initial positioning of the sleeve, and the proper setting will, in each case, be dependent upon the frequencies desired in the carrying out of a specified process of compression wave treatment.

It should be pointed out that by means of a simple modification of the device shown in the drawings, compression waves at relatively low frequencies may be produced. By removing the plug 12, the sleeve '80, and the cup 82 it is possible to screw onto the shaft 84 a conventional cylindrical piston. In this case the depth of the resonant chamber is enormously increased and the base frequency about which modulation is effected can be reduced to the. audible range. To provide even lower frequencies the shaft 84 may be replaced by another considerably shorter shaft carrying a piston at its free end; in this case the length of the chamber is still further increased.

When the sleeve or piston has been adjusted to proper position for the frequencies desired, the

compressed air or other gas is introduced through the conduit 60, and compression waves are then generated and modulated in the manner above described. A liquid, or liquids, to be treated is 6 introduced through the conduits 52 and fed through the inlet 28 in the form of a cylindrical curtain which drops through the chamber l0 to the outlet I02. The thickness of the curtain is controlled by regulating the valve member 36. During its passage through the chamber [0 the curtain is subjected to the action of the compression waves leaving the whistle. The waves are reflected back and forth many times through the chamber and strike the curtain from a number of angles of attack and the modulation of the frequency over a wide range of frequencies is highly effective in improving the characteristics of many liquids. For example, oil and water may be emulsified most satisfactorily by first forming them into a laminated curtain in which one lamination is oil and the other lamination is water. When the curtain is subjected to bombardment by compression waves, a thorough and complete emulsification Of the two liquids is obtained almost immediately. It is, of course, understood that for some processes it is unnecessary to vary or modulate the frequency of the compression waves. In such cases the motor 90 will not be energized, and the sleeve 80 will be I set at a predetermined position and not moved during the treating process.

. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the fact that the apparatus above described is based upon some of the principles involved in the well-known Galton whistle. They will also understand that by a few simple modifications it would be possible to produce similar results by adapting the principles of the Hazctmann generator. The knife edge would be replaced by a tube having a flat top and a re-entrance portion just inside and below the upper edge; furthermore the distance between the nozzle and the tube would be somewhat greater than the distance between the nozzle l2 and the knife edge l4.

Having thus described and illustrated one preferred embodiment of my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Acoustic device which comprises a nozzle having an annular outlet, 9. knife-edged tube aligned with said nozzle, a plug disposed in the end of said tube and spaced from the wall thereof, a movable sleeve disposed between the plug and said tube, and means for reciprocating said sleeve.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein an exhaust pipe surrounds said knife-edged tube.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein walls form'a toroidal chamber surrounding and concentric with said nozzle and tube.

CAPERTON B. HORSLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 716,568 Moore Dec. 23, 1902 766,027 Fairchild July 26, 1904 1,515,471 Foley Nov. 11. 1924 1,540,023 Kollinek June 2, 1925 1,890,212 Bridgham Dec. 6, 1932 2,163,649 Weaver June 27, 1939 2,170,178 Williams Aug. 22, 1939 2,238,668 Wellenstein Apr. 15, 1941 2,456,708 Horsley Dec. 21, 1948 2,519,619 Yellott et al Aug. 22. 1950 

